Duterte Wants 72-Hour Deadline For Government Transactions

Presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed his desire to implement Davao City’s 72-hour deadline for government transactions in the whole country.

Duterte said the deadline includes the processing of all government transactions such as clearances, electrical connections and business permits, ABS-CBN reported.

“After 72 hours you are no longer allowed to release the documents or papers. You have to forward the papers to me and I will ask you why it took more than three days to process the papers,” he said. “I do not want to see people queuing.”

Duterte also slammed procrastinating government employees who were apparently doing a mediocre job of processing papers.

“Akala ko ba bayad tayo sa tao? Where are the computers that will make it fast? We've been acquiring computers to make our work easier, and here comes the delay, for nothing. Ayaw niyo lang magtrabaho,” he added.

Duterte said if they could do it in Davao then there was no reason why the whole country could not adapt the policy.

He also said he will only implement this to the executive branches of the government under him and will leave out the legislative and judiciary branches to figure their own method of speeding up government transactions.

The Philippines ranks poorly in terms of ease of doing business, placing 103rd in the 2015 World Bank report. According to ABS-CBN News, the process of starting a business in the Philippines usually takes six steps and eight days.